What Scooter Would You Recommend?

by Katrina
(USA)

I want to buy a scooter. I want it to drive at least up to 65mph, have hidden cargo storage and maintenance free. What scooter would you recommend. I only drove 8 miles to work but I need a scooter that will last a long time.

Comments for What Scooter Would You Recommend?

The scooters with the most minimal maitenance are really going to be high end scooters. Honda Silverwing comes to mind. Suzuki Burgman should be relatively maintenance free. The more inexpensive machines (50cc - 250cc) require frequent oil changes, transmission oil changes, and valve adjustments.

The valve adjustments are probably the most costly item, if you take it to a shop. Consider the difference between models: Kymco 250 requiring valve adjustments every 3000 miles vs Honda Silverwing requiring valve adjustments every 15000 miles, and you start to see the difference.

Small scooters also may need oil changes every 1 to 2 thousand miles, vs every 5000 miles for bigger more expensive scooters. If you do your own work it may not be a big deal, but shop costs can add up if you tend to put high miles on your scooter.

Apr 17, 2009Rating

Check Our Reviewsby: Kathi

Katrina, There are some really positive reviews on this site for the SYM HD scooter:
SYM Reviews

I'm not positive about the maintenance, but it looks like a really good scooter and is the size you would need.

Yamaha also makes reliable scooters. Kymco and Yamaha also make reliable scooters according to the reviews here.

Personally, I can highly recommend Genuine as making quality scooters, but they don't get bigger than a 150cc, so would probably be too small for your needs.

In my opinion, if you buy either the Vespa brand or one of the well-known brands like SYM, Yamaha, Honda, or Genuine, you'll probably find the maintenance on an automatic, 4-stroke scooter to be fairly minimal. I haven't had to do more than gas it up, take it in for an oil change and tune-up after 500 miles and check my tire pressure now and then.

Best of luck,
Kathi

Apr 17, 2009Rating

Maintenance free scootersby: Anonymous

What I want most from this site is people's opinion on what scooter has the best maintenance free type lifestyle. Like in a car, if someone asks me what car to buy I would say Toyota because they are almost maintenance free and last a long time.

Apr 16, 2009Rating

There Are Many Choicesby: Kathi

Katrina, Thanks for asking this question. Choosing a scooter is a very personal choice and no one can tell you which choice is best for you except you. But if you want to go 65MPH, then you're going to need a scoot up around 200 or 250cc minimally.

The 125/150cc model like I drive might get up to those speeds, but you won't feel very safe when big semis pass you. You'll want a little more weight, if you're big enough to handle a bike that size (I'm not).

My advice is to go to scooter dealers and test ride various models. That'll give you the best idea what's right for you.

When you're done here, you may also be interested in reading some of these popular pages:

A battery tender like the Battery Tender Jr. can make all the difference in whether your scooter will start right up each spring, after being stored for months.

Just about every scooter owner needs to have a battery tender, sometimes called a trickle charger. Unless you are lucky enough to live in a climate where you can ride all year long, chances are your scooter will be put on ice, figuratively-speaking, for at least a couple months every winter.

One of the key steps in winterizing a scooter is to protect your battery from draining during its "rest" period. This can – and will – happen if you leave your battery sitting untended in your cold scooter over the winter, even if it's in a garage or shed.

The Scooter Life

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